THE man who scored the goal which fired Leyton Orient out of League Two has spoken to the Guardian about that 'special' day.

Our chat with striker Lee Steele is the first of a irregular series with Orient players of times past to help pass the time during the all-dreaded off-season.

Today, 35 year-old Steele looks back with pride to Leyton Orient's final-day decider at Oxford United in 2006, when he hit the final goal of a five-goal thriller.

The match, and his strike, was a true epic, with monumental consequences for both sides.

The 3-2 win lifted Orient into League One and it banished Oxford to the Conference oblivion, where the club stills languishes today.

But Steele's mind had to be on self-preservation as much as celebration, come full time.

“It was a special moment. You’ve got to savour it for as long as you can, as it’s over in a flash,” he said.

“But I went over to clap the fans but there were a few of them on the pitch, and they were trying to get me. I had to be on my toes sharpish.”

Orient’s promotion hero was forced to beat a hasty retreat to the dressing room by an angry mob of Oxford fans.

There was more to come.

“Then a security guard came in and said: ‘Lee, we’ve got to get you out of here'.”

Outside the ground waiting for him was a group of fans disgruntled by the prospect of non-league football.

It was a hairy moment, only defused by a dose of Scouse charm.

Steele remembers: “When I went out, there was some good-natured banter.

You can understand their view: it’s their club and they don’t want to go down.”

But he feels that day was written in the stars.

“It was against Oxford United, my old club. It was always going to be me who scored and spoiled the party for Oxford. I think it was written, it was epic. I’ve had a knack of scoring against Oxford since I left Orient, too.”

Steele scored twice against Oxford for Northwich Victoria after he left Brisbane Road.

There, he fell down the pecking order under Martin Ling and departed for Chester City just five months later, in October 2006.

Now, his spell at Orient stands as the best of his career.

“It’s been down-hill since. Orient was the best club I played for by a mile. They suited my style of play, with me as the little fella who wasn’t up in the air all the time.”

He rates O’s legend Matt Lockwood very highly too.

“Lockwood is one of the best players I ever played with. On the pitch he would look to me, pass it, I'd lay it off to Michael Simpson, and there would be Matty flying up the wing. That link-up play was so important to how we created chances. It was phenomenal.”

Today, Steele is back in Oxford with Oxford City. He said the memories were still raw for United fans.

“When I play them and was brought off, I got booed. But I clapped them and it was okay, they clapped me off. I don’t think I’m that unpopular in Oxford."

It was all worth it too.

He said: “Orient was where I played my best football. They’re always the first result I look for.”